Inertia-operated stop signal



Dec. 30, 1947. o, v. MALMQUIST n 2,433,469

lNERTIA-OPERATED STOP SIGNAL Filed June 28, 1945 Patented Dec. 30,1947

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE INERTIA-OPERATED STOP SIGNAL Oscar V. Malmquist, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application June 28, 1943, Serial No. 492,514

8 Claims.

My present invention relates to vehicle stop signals and more particularly to what may be termed inertia-operated vehicle stop signals. Preferably and as herein illustrated, the invention comprises a combination vehicle stop signal and tail-light wherein operation of the stop signal portion thereof is automatically brought about by inertia resulting from retardation of forward motion and more particularly by a combination of inertia and gravity. While the invention is applicable to any kind of vehicle, it is primarily intended as a stop signal or combined stop signal and tail-light for bicycles, velocipedes, and the like, wherein low cost, compactness, and dependability of operation are of prime importance.

The above and other highly important objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side View of a bicycle equipped with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear face view of a combined stop signal and tail-light of Fig. l, showing the same on a greatly enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and looking from right toward the left in respect to Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1, a conventiona1 bicycle is indicated as an entirety by 5, the front wheel of the bicycle by 6, the rear wheel of the bicycle by 'I, the seat of the bicycle by 8, the rear mud guard or fender of the bicycle by 9, and a parcel carrier which overlies the rear wheel is indicated by I9.

The combined stop signal and tail-light forming the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated comprises a rectangular signal casing, indicated as an entirety by Il, having a front wall I2, a bottom wall I3, a top wall I4, side walls I5, and a rear wall I6. The front, bottom, top, and sides of the signal casing are shown as integrally formed from stamped sheet metal and completely closed to passage of light; whereas, the rear wall I6 of the casing is shown as being of the removable type having a rectangular flange I'I that telescopes over and frictionally engages the rear portion of the main casing body. This removable rear casing wall I6 is provided With a signal aperture I8 and a tail-light aperture I9, the latter underlying the former. The light apertures I8 and I9 are covered by suitable translucent material such as a panel of red glass 20 that is normally held in place by the removable rear wall or cover p1ate Wand ange 01' flanges 2l of the main casing body. Preferably, but not essentially, the translucent panel. 2Ilv is formed at the stop light aperture I9 with an outwardly bulged or convex portion.,-

Mounted within the signal casing II vand preferably coaxially with the tail light apertureIS is a conventional electric lamp inthe nature of a tail light bulb 22. This light bulb may be a conventional flash-light bulb and the base is mounted in a suitable socket 23 which, in turn, is mounted on the bottom of the casing through the medium of a bracket 24. In accordance with conventional practice, the shell or base of bulb 22 constitutes one of its electricalfcontacts. The other or center contact of the bulb 22 is indicated by 25, and this contact engages a spring contact 26 that is anchored to the rear wall of the casing by rivets or the like, but is electrically insulated therefrom by a suitable insulating strip 28, and has a projecting end 29 yforming one of the contacts of a switch S. The other or movable contact of the switch S is indicated by 30 and is vertically slidably mounted on the front wall I2 of the casing by means of a rivet or the like 3| working through a vertical slot 32. Rivet 3l works through and anchors to the sliding contact 30 a switch-operating button 33.

The signal light aperture I8 is normally closed to passage of light by a shutter 35 that is horlzontally pivoted at 3E to the upper interior portion of the signal casing immediately adjacent the top of the signal aperture I8. This shutter' 35 is of such size as to completely cover the signal aperture I8 but does not overlap or close olf any portion of the tail-light aperture I9, and is yieldingly biased by gravity to move to itsY vertical signal aperture closing position shown by full lines in Figs. 3 and 4. This shutter 35 is, however, free to move pivotally forwardly to a shutter openl position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and in which position of the shutter lightemitted from the bulb 22 will illuminate the signal aperture`= I8 in addition to the tail-lightaperturel 9'. `Preferably, forward opening pivotal movements of the shutter are limited by a'stop or 4stops v31 projecting from a side wall or walls I5.'

The signal lamp casing may be mounted at the rear of a vehicle such as a bicycle in any suitable manner, but as herein illustrated is mounted -at the rear of the bicycle 5 by a, mounting bracket 38. In fact, as shown, the sign-al housingv is mounted under the'rear projecting portion of the parcel Carrier 1,0 and may be assumed to be anchored thereto through means such as the bracket 38 with its light apertures I8 and I9 facing rearwardly. The light bulb 22 of the signal is adapted to be energized from a suitable source of potential such as a hash-light battery B, shown as being mounted under the parcel carrier l in Fig. 1. One side of the battery B is grounded to the bicycle frame or parcel carrier I0 by a lead 39 andthe signal. casing mayalso be assumedto .be grounded to the parcel carrier as indicated at 4D in Fig. 3. The other side of the battery B is connected to the shell contact of bulb 22 through a lead 4l, bracket 24, and socket 23. To now complete thefeircuit, it is only necessary to actuate the sliding contact 3H of switch S in a downward direction to bring the same into engagement with its cooperating 'contact 20, which will complete the circuit by connecting the contact 25 of bulb 22 to the grounded side of the battery, Preferably, the area of the translucent panel covering-signal aperture I8 has portions of'red'uced density vor greater transparency, forming thefletters Stop In other words, these portionsformingthe letters Stop in the translucent glass `panel preferably have greater light-emitting qualities than the other portions of the translucent panel 20 and, hence,

'illuminate more brightly.

AOperation With the arrangement illustrated, the. shutter will remain closed during conditions of arrested motion, accelerated -forlw'ard motion, or relatively constant forward motion, but will swing forwardly to 'its open position and permit illumination of the stop signalaperture i8 kby its own inertia urnlerv rapid retardation :of Vforward motion, such as caused by application of the bicycle brakei I-lencaan yeffective stop signal will be produced automatically, and without any attention whatevervfrom 'the-operator, every time he applies the brake to-stop tlie-icxieycle orotherwise rapidly'retardsv the -forwardzmotion 1. An-inertia-operated vehicle stop signal comprising a lamp housing having light and signal aperturesin vits rear wall and, containing/a source of illumination, i an inertia-operated shutter suspended inf the"casingfor movements toand'from a. signal aperture closing positionin directions rearwardly Land forwardly of the Vsignal casing, said shutter being yieldingly biased by gravity toward the .signal aperture :closing position but beingree to move toasingle aperture uncovering position .by .its :own inertia when forward movement or the signal V,housing is abruptly retarded.

'2. The structuredened .in Yclaim l in Vwhich the shutter ,is pivoted zto the signal .casing immediately .adjacent one-edge ofthe signal aperture Vand .is- Yso weighted vthat'it. willV move pivotallyto 4an leinen :position Ylay-inertia resultingfrom sudden retardation oorwardmotion.

l.3. :The structure-defined `in .claim ll in Vwhich theisaid `shutter ishorizcntallypivoted'to .the .iinterrier .of the casingzinnnediately adjacent the .top-ofthe signal'aperture andgissubject to the yielding action of gravity to `move to `a depending signa-l aperture closed `position .and under 4lli wall a tail-light aperture and a stop signal aperture, a signal lamp positioned in the casing to illuminate the space therein back of both oi.' said apertures, and an inertia-opened gravityclosed shutter pivoted within the casing above the stop signal aperture, said shutter being suspended from its pivot so as to be yieldingly biased by gravity toward a signal aperture closed rearward position and to be responsive to its own inertia to move away from the signal aperture under retardation of forward movement.

5. The structure dened in claim 4 in which the said apertures are located one above the other, and in which the said shutter is of such size as `to `close only the signal aperture.

6. A combined vehicle tail-light and stop signal comprising a lamp housing having in its rear wall a signal aperture and a tail-light aperture below the signal aperture, a tail lamp positioned within the lamp housing back of the tail-light aperture; and an inertia-opened gravity-closed shutter located within the housing back of the signal aperture and adapted to cover the same .without obstructing the `tail-light.aperture, said shutter being horizontally pivoted at its upper edge to the housing adjacent the top of the signal aperture so that the shutter will be gravity biased toward a signal aperture closing position andV is responsive to its `own inertia to swing inwardly to a signal aperture open position under retardation of forward movement, whereby when the signal aperture is -open .light from the tail lamp will illuminate both the taillight and signal light apertures.

7. .An inexpensive light and signal casing for bicycles and the like comprising a casing having Vlight and signal apertures, :a shutter pivoted in the casing so -as normally to swing in `a covering Vposition over the signal aperture, said casing being sufciently large so 'that the shutter may swing therein to a position to uncover the Vsignal aperture, an electric light in the casing sucient to illuminate both apertures and a switch therefor mounted on the casing for operation from the exterior thereof.

8. As an article of manufacture, an inexpensive tail light and stop light assembly for bicycles and the like comprising Va .casing having a removable cover plate, an electric lamp in the casing and a switch for controlling the lamp mounted on the casing, said cover plate having a tail light aperture and a stop light aperture, said lamp being suicient to illuminate both apertures and a cover plate pivotallyV mounted for swinging movement within the casing from :a first position covering the signal aperture to a second position uncovering said aperture, said swing plate Vbeing normally biased to the rst position.

OSCAR V. MALMQUIST.

REFERENCES CITED The Yfollowing references are of record in the le of this patent:

.France Apr. 13, 1931 

